456
Opinion of the Court
the related persons provision: "A person shall be considered to be a related person to a signatory operator if that person is—." § 9701(c)(2)(A) (emphasis added). Under the Commissioner's reading, the signatory operator would be related to itself. But just as it makes little sense to say that I am a related person to myself, it makes little sense to say that a signatory operator is a related person to itself. The statute therefore necessarily implies that a "related person" is a separate entity from a signatory operator. Moreover, the Commissioner's argument only works where the signatory operator is actually part of a "controlled group of corporations." The Commissioner does not account for the situation where a signatory operator is not part of a controlled group. And because the Commissioner does not contend that Shackleford was part of such a controlled group of corporations, this argument, in any event, has no force here.
B
The Commissioner also contends that the background, legislative history, and purposes of the Coal Act confirm that Congress intended that liability for a signatory operator's employees could be placed on the signatory's direct successor in interest.
1
As support, the Commissioner turns to the floor statements of Senators Malcolm Wallop and Jay Rockefeller, arguing that, because these Senators sponsored the Coal Act, their views are entitled to special weight. In particular, the Commissioner relies on an explanation of the legislation placed into the record by Senator Wallop, making the point that, in addition to the three categories of related persons, "the statute provides that related persons" includes "(iv) in specific instances successors to the collective bargaining agreement obligations of a signatory operator." 138 Cong.
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